Bellingham, Washington, often comes out near the top when magazines rate America's "most liveable" cities, but it ranks No. 1 in a new list -- U.S. places that get the least sunshine during the year.

The sun is out only 35 percent of the time in the city at the Northwest corner of America's "lower 48" states.

Everett is No. 2, followed by Shoreline and Seattle. In fact, the 15 least-sunny cities and surroundings with more than 50,000 population are ALL in Western Washington, according to the list compiled by city-data.com.

"In contrast to other parts of the country, it's not long stretches of clouds that get people moody: It's long stretches of sun," joked Patrick Stickney, a senior at Western Washington University in Bellingham. Stickney has lived in Phoenix and Spokane.

Ben Outspoken Crowther, a recent Western graduate, quipped on his Facebook page, "I was born and raised in No. 8 (Issaquah), went to college in No. 1 (Bellingham) and now live in No. 4 (Seattle)."

The cloudiest places elswhere in the country are in the Rust Belt. Charleston, West Virginia -- not tops on anybody's "most livable" list -- is No. 16, followed by Pittsburgh and Syracuse.

Bellingham may be No. 1 in least sunshine, but it is a major outdoor recreation center.

Specially, Bellingham and Whatcom County are fast becoming a national center for mountain biking, up there with much sunnier places like Moab, Utah.

The overcast? "We think of it as a virtue," said Bruce Brown, an author who made his reputation with "Mountain in the Clouds," a book on decimation of the Olympic Peninsula's salmon runs. Brown lives in Sumas, north of Bellingham, and writes about mountain biking.

Up in Bellingham, mountain biking enthusiasts refer to "the slime factor" on such challenging routes as Galbraith Mountain and Lookout Mountain.

"It makes the riding challenging," said Brown. "We are seen as Vikings from the north. I've ridden in California, in Oregon, elsewhere in the West. The level of difficulty that riders deal with here is far greater than in California or Utah or elsewhere.

"We wear proudly the badge of darkness, gloom and rain."

Mitch Friedman, executive director at Bellingham-based Conservation Northwest, used to think that Everett and Olympia "had us beat" in cloudy days.

"I would suggest a good investment would be for people to open a store that sells ultra-violet lamps where you get Vitamin D or E," joked Friedman. Seriously, however, he notes that "a new generation of people are moving here" explicitly for the range of outdoor activities.

As to the gloom, Friedman suggests an antidote: "I try to go to Mexico for a week each winter."

Bob Simmons, a veteran Los Angeles TV pundit, was lured north to KING-TV in the late 1970s. He is now retired in Bellingham, and was asked on a cool, overcast November day if he misses life in LA, and replied:

Words cannot express how much I miss the 98 degree Santa Ana winds with its load of smog and forest fire smoke so thick you could carry it in your pocket for later consumption.